PHILADELPHIA, PA--The Rock n Roll Philadelphia
Half Marathon--13.1 miles--has undergone changes in its 35-year
history. Originally christened the Philadelphia Distance Run
(PDR) in its inaugural debut in 1978, it was a local race, put
on by an area YMCA. Two local people won: Julio Piazza clocked
1:07:35 and Nora Johnson posted 1:24:34. To date, those are the
slowest winning times in this races history.

I remember when the race was quiet and unassuming,
said Mary Pat Ezzo of Richboro, PA who has run this race for
all 35 years. Back in 1978, only a few hundred of us competed.
Now its a zoo, According to the Philadelphia Inquirer,
an estimate of 21,000 runners competed at the 2012 Rock n
Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon this past September 16. Ezzo
finished in 2:12:17. The races new name, coupled with the
worlds best distance runners competing in it, do not matter
to Ezzo. I just care about keeping my streak going,
she said. She is planning on competing next year.

Rod Dixon, who won the PDR in 1980, 1:03:39; and 1981, 1:02:12,
was on hand to observe this years race.

When he was an elite runner, his training style differed from
some of todays athletes.

He initially competed in the mile, then the 5K, the 10K,
and then the half-marathon. A lot of guys run marathons
too early, said Dixon. He said that when runners compete
in longer races, they should try to run the same fast pace that
they do in shorter races. This strategy paid off for Dixon. At
age 33, he was already running marathons, yet he could still
run the mile under four minutes. When I increased my distance,
I did not lose my speed.

Stanley Biwott, 26, of Kenya, won the 35th running of the
Rock n Roll Philadelphia Half-Marathon, 1:00:03,
to collect $3,500. Another huge 2012 win for him was winning
the Paris Marathon 2:05:12.

At the 5K mark, Biwott and fellow countryman runner-up Paul
Lonyangata, 19, (1:00:43) broke away from the pack. As the Kenyan
duo led from 5K through eight miles, it looked like they were
doing a training run.

Things changed at the eight-mile mark. Their split was 36:32.
Biwott surged. I felt good, I moved, said Biwott
in broken English.

Lonyangata could not keep up because his left hamstring bothered
him.

When Biwott hit the 10-mile mark in 45:41, he felt confident
about winning. He remained unchallenged for the rest of the race.

I was a little disappointed, said Biwott, who
earlier this year ran his half-marathon PR, 59:44 when he won
the Paris Half Marathon. I wanted to beat that time.

I wasnt sore from the Olympics, said
Ritzenhein. This race (the Rock n Roll Philadelphia
Half-Marathon) is just a tune-up for the Chicago Marathon.

Ritzenhein said that when he saw Biwott and Lonyangata pull
ahead at the 5K mark, he opted to stay behind. His goal was to
run the race at a 4:35 to 4:40 mile pace and avoid injuries.
Training for the marathon makes it so hard to respond to
those fast miles, and I couldnt, said Ritzenhein.
Had his ultimate goal for 2012 been the Rock n Roll
Philadelphia Half Marathon, he would have tried to stay with
Biwott and Lonyangata.

This was her second time running this race. In 2007, she finished
fourth, 1:10:21.

This time I was confident about winning, said
Cherop. Another huge 2012 win for her was the Boston Marathon
where she posted 2:31:50.

The Rock n Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon was
her tune-up for the New York City Marathon this November.

Cherop found herself running most of the race unchallenged. Her
goal was to beat the course record, 1:07:11, which Kim Smith
set in 2011, but she was 10 seconds too slow to collect the course
record bonus of $1,000.00.

Finishing second was Mare Dibaba, 22, of Ethiopia, 1:07:44.
At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Daba finished 23rd in the
Marathon, 2:28:48.